Hand pruner or like tool



Feb. 6, 1940. F, T, UND 2,189,211

HAND PRUNER 'OR LIKE TOOL I Filed June 11, 1938 Patented Feb. 6, 1940' HAND PRUNER R LIKE 'rooL FrancisT. LincL'EVerett, Mass, assignor to H. K. H

Porter, Inc., Everett. Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 11, 1938, SerialNo. 213,224,

Y 8 Claims. (01.30-262) ,This invention relates to hand tools of the crossed lever type and finds a particular application to hand pruning shears orsecateurs, and the object is to provide an eificient tool of this character, simple and economical to construct, of neat appearance and having smooth exterior surfaces which do not present relatively moving parts which might pinch the hands in use or-entangle stray twigs. l

My invention will be well understood by ref' erence to the following description of the illustrative embodiment thereof shown by wayof example in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is an elevation of'a hand pruner illustrative ofthe invention in closedposition;

Fig. 2 shows the head of l the same in open pov sition; Y Fig. 3 is a view of the inner face of the upper portion of one of the levers; I

Fig. 4 is a view of a blade adapted mounted on the lever shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an inner'face View of a cooperating lever; and H l i Fig. 6 is a section on an. enlarged scale on the line 6--6 of Fig. 2. h

The tool here shown embodies two crossed levers pivoting on the pivot pin Land these levers are formed respectively with handle grip portions l2 and i4 terminating in shoulders l6 and i8 which herein are shown as circularly curved about the pivot it as a center. Beyond the shoulders'ili and it the, levers are provided with reduced blade-carrying extensions 20 and 22 respectively, through which the pivot pin ll] passes and which have laterally projectingpor: tions' 24 and 26 curved to circular arcs and adapted to cooperate respectively with the shoulders l6 and N3, the two reduced portions over- I lapping and fitting on one another in the mano ner of a so-called halving joint. l I

The cutting blades herein shown are of the. general type more fully described in the patent to Porter and Geddes No. 2,090,228 and may comprise a concaveblade 28' having a relatively blunt edge which is here shown as formed integrally with the extension 22 with which is also formed the lug 30 at the further side of the circular throat 32 formed by the blades inthe open position of the tool and which lug is adapted to overlie and support the companion blade. This companion blade, 34, which has a relatively acute convex edge, is herein shown as formed separately from the lever, thev extension 20 of which is comparatively short and provides a 5 mounting for the blade 34, which latter is formed from a suitable flat steel blank and is provided with an opening .iifi'tospass the pivot pin and-an opening 38 for a rivet lllby means of which-it is secured to the lever extension shown in Fig. 3. The inner end-of the blank 34 is'r i formed withthe 6 spacedextensions 42and 44 for a purpose which will be explained and which are curved: circularly on their. distal ends to abut against thearcshaped shoulder lfi. The tool may be normally spring-pressedlto open position and I have herein shownadoublecone spring46 of the volute typeasinterposed between the handle levers l2, andl in well known manner. To limit the swinging moveme'nt of the levers I provide means located atthe 5 opposed inner surfaces of the pivot joint. and for this purpose provide a lug 48 (see Fig. 5) onthe inner face of th-e'extension 22. of lever l.4 which is received between the extensions42 and. of l blade 34 which cooperate therewith to form stops limiting respectively the closingjmovement of the tool (Fig. 1) and the opening. movement (Fig.2). M v To hold theiaws closed when thetool is not in use I provide a suitabledetent orcatch which also is desirably housed vwithirrthe joint. Herein the shoulder 18 isprovided Witha slot ill just beyond the inner face. of the extension 22. (see Figs. 6 and 5) in which is houseda detent 52 pivoted on a pin 54. The detent 52nhas] a cross- '3() head 56 forming afinger piecepermittingitto be swung about its]pivot,which' finger piece is exposed, herein, at the outer surface of lever. l4 which is preferably curved to. abircular arc. about the center of pin 54, the inner, surfaceoi; the cross-head fitting on this part. The detent. is provided with a nose portion 5 8 which alternatively may be retracted within the slot. .50 or projected into the plane of the blade 34. .InQ the latter instance, in the closed position ofthe parts shown "in Fig. 1, it may cooperate with extension 44 to hold the levers locked. To. provide a smoothly working mechanism free. ,of. any lost motion, the nose 58' of the detent is preferably curved to the arc of a circle about pivot 54 and a portion 60 of extension 44 is formed with a V circular surface cooperating therewith in the closed position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 and v serving to lock the levers against movement about the pivot II] which is eccentricto these co-v .j

blades areopen as in Fig. 2, the left-handedge of the extension 44 will strike the same as the 5 of the parts likely to catch the fingers if they are extended up the head of the tool. This idea is also carried out in the arrangement of the limit stops and of the locking detent which, except for the operating finger piece 56, are

' housed interiorly of the tool between the side faces thereof. The result is a neat appearance,

safety to the user and convenience in applying the tool to the work, perhaps among crowded branches and twigs. s

I am awarethat the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to .be considered in all respects as illus-' trative and not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

- I'claim:

1. A. tool of the class described comprising a pair of shouldered levers having reduced, overlapping, .interpivoted, blade-carrying portions beyond the shoulders, one of the shoulders having a slot opening tothe joint between the reduced portions-and having a circularly curved outer boundary, a detent pivoted in the slot having a cross head overlying said boundary and forming a finger piece whereby the detent may be swung to protrude from the slot to overlie the adjacent reduced portion or retracted therein, the reduced portion of the other lever having surface formed on an are about its center, the

reduced portion of the other lever having a circularly formed shoulder fitting said are in the closed position of the levers.

3. A tool of the class described comprising levers having circularly curved shoulders and outwardly thereof reduced, interpivoted, bladecarrying portions having circular boundaries cooperating with the shoulders of the companion lever, a pair of spaced shoulders on the inner surface of one reduced portion and a projecting member on the inner surface of the other working between them and providing means for delimiting the relative pivotal movement of the levers completely concealed in the joint thereof in all positions.

.4. A tool of the class described comprising a pair of interpivoted levers, a finger piece pivoted to one of them eccentric to the lever pivot and having a nose concentric with the pivot of the finger piece, the other lever having a circularly formed shoulder cooperating with the nose in the closed position of the levers.

5. A tool of the class described comprising a pair of overlapping interpivoted levers, a sepa rate blade mounted on the inner face of one lever and'having spaced, rearwardly extending extensions at its rear end, the other lever overlying said rear end and the extensions and having on the inner face a projection entering between said extensions to provide means for delimiting the relative pivotal movement of the levers completely concealed in the joint thereof in all positions.

6. A tool of the class described comprising a pair of overlapping interpivoted levers, a separate blade mounted on the inner face of one lever and having spaced, rearwardly extending extensions at its rear end, the inner face of the other lever having a projection entering between said extensions, and a finger-operated detent carried by said other lever constructed to engage and retain one of said extensions in the closed position of the levers.

7. A tool of the class described comprising a pair of shouldered levers having reduced, overlapping, interpivoted, blade-carrying portions, the inner face of the reduced portion of one lever presenting a recess spaced from the outer face of the lever and defining a shoulder, the other lever having a recess opening at the inner face of the reduced portion thereof, a detent housed in the recess and adapted to be projected therefrom to engage the shoulder, and means for operating the detent extending to an outer surface of the lever.

8. A tool of the class described comprising a pair of shouldered levers having reduced, overlapping, interpivoted, blade-carrying portions, the inner face of the reduced portion of one lever presenting a recess spaced from the outer face of the lever and defining a shoulder, the other lever having a slot in its shouldered portion between the faces thereof opening adjacent the'inn er face of the reduced portion and to the side of the lever, a detent mounted in the slot for movement substantially in the plane in which the levers swing and adapted to be projected therefrom to engage the shoulder, and means for operating the detent projecting through the slot to the side of the lever.

' FRANCIS T. LIND. 

